Caps Cases was founded in 1982 by Charlie Bissett and Peter Bush. Originally trading out of a 5,000 sq ft factory in Newmarket with just six employees, the company was able to compete in the recession of the early 1980s. From the beginning the company set out to enter niche markets in packaging including assembled divisions and pallet containers. This policy has continued over the years with the company also specialising in 6-point gluing, high quality print and the development of the patented Klikstor archive storage box.
In 1995 the company opened a factory in Baillieston, Glasgow primarily to supply assembled divisions to the whisky industry. This factory is able to supply both corrugated and solidboard Eurolok divisions. The factories at Newmarket and Baillieston are fully integrated and all sales, purchasing and accounts functions are based in Newmarket.
Print Focus
The company has always remained well invested and most recently putting a keen focus on printing. They choose to install a new JC Plus inside/outside flexo printer in late 2021, and an EFI Nozomi digital printer in March 2022.
“Printing is at the heart of what we do,” explains Trevor Bissett, Managing Director. “We used Newmarket as our primary print site, but as we started to get more and more demand for high quality print work demand from customers in Scotland, we decided to invest in that site for printing as well. We quickly came to the conclusion that a flexo folder gluer would be best and set about looking at our options.”
He continues, “We visited Able Box down in Somerset who had just installed a new corrugator from JS Machine and we were instantly impressed by the build quality and that the owners were happy with the support they were getting. So we started to look at the flexo folder gluer offering from JS Machine and after close discussions with JS Machine Europe and the UK agent, Sheet Plant Consultants Ltd, we placed an order for a five colour machine.”
In Detail
The JS Printer 924 open and close casemaker at Caps Cases is a five colour machine. Its format offers a maximum sheet size of 900mm x 2400mm and a maximum running speed of 300m/min or 18,000 sheets per hour. It features a lead edge feeder with sheet cleaning device; The five printing units are equipped with Mathews locking system, vacuum transport, chambered doctor blades and ceramic Anilox rolls, as well as IR and hot air drying unit.
The machine also has a special Quad creasing unit and dual slotting unit. It has a servo driven Serrapid rotary die-cut unit with anvil grinding system, as well as a special JS stripping section. In the gluing section, there is a new generation ERO automatic glue unit, with waste removal fans and camera inspection/marker control system. An extended folding section with JS speed and crease adjustment unit ensures accuracy and an extra wide, high speed counter ejector unit completes the line. It benefits from fully automated set up and quality controls systems.
“The machine is fully loaded with lots of extras, it is a true multi-roll machine that can produce quality printed products that can make a simple folded case, full rotary die-cut sheets of flat printed sheets for a flatbed die-cutter,” explains David Brooks, Managing Director, Sheet Plant Consultants Ltd. “Current print tests show the print registration of less than +/-0.25mm on the machine, proving that this line lives up to the slogan of ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’!”
Fast Start-up
The new machine, which was ordered in late 2021, was delivered and installed in the summer of 2022; interestingly, another sheet plant nearby – Pitreavie – ordered a similar machine, meaning JS Machine was able to handle both installations at the same time.
“We have been impressed with the speed of installation and also the quality of the engineering and the training,” says Bissett. “It was not an easy project to undertake, because we had some space limitations, which the JS project team were able to overcome with some clever solutions.”
He continues, “It is also reassuring that even though the machine is designed and manufactured in China, JS Machine has a dedicated sales and service office in Italy, meaning we get spare parts and troubleshooting without any significant delays. Having SPCL in the UK also helps, and David and his team have been first class throughout the project and start-up phase.”
Bissett concludes, “Adding this high quality flexo casemaker to our Glasgow facility means we are taking a significant volume of trucks off the road coming from our Newmarket facility. In an era where we must all be mindful of our carbon footprint, brining this level of quality box production to Scotland enables us to sustainably service a growing customer base – and in addition, gives us ‘best in class’ equipment for our operators and potential recruits as we look to grow the business further. We are excited about the potential of this new JS Printer 924, as the early signs of what it can achieve are really encouraging.”
